January 08, 2003

Action Time

Wanna do something good for the future? Guess what? You can. And, you should. Not because I'm telling you to. But, because it's the right thing to do.

With all the budget cuts that are on the agenda for Congress, would you believe that the idiots want to cut funding to the Children's hospitals in this country? They'd rather allocate funds to build consumer confidence in cars and plastics than to secure a healthy future for our children. OUR children. OUR future.

Children's hospitals need your help in asking Congress to keep the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program fully funded, and not cut it in January.

The federal CHGME program is essential to the ability of independent children's teaching hospitals to train children's doctors and serve all children.

Having an adequate supply of children's doctors depends on CHGME. The independent children's hospitals train almost 30% of all pediatricians, half of all pediatric specialists, and the majority of pediatric researchers.

Now, before you start puffing up and get ready to tell me this is B.S., that I'm allowing emotionalism do the talking, think about this.

Where do doctors come from? Where do GOOD doctors come from? What kind of doctor do you want if your child is ill? They come from good teaching hospitals. And, in order for them to be at teaching hospitals, the hospitals need to be there. My hospital isn't the only one facing a serious loss of funding. It's nationwide. Private donations won't keep us open. More budget cuts within the hospitals will create staffing shortages (as if there weren't a problem already???), create a shortage of equipment, updating facilities, maintaining the facilities that exist.

There's only so much you can do with the money you have. To lose even 10% of that funding is a devastating loss. Do you take that money away from staff? From equipment? From medications? Which will harm the patient the least?

When it comes to your family, what are you willing to ask them to do without? When it comes to a life or death situation, what should be available to them?

Think those questions over and go visit the site. Write your congressperson and tell them this isn't where cuts should occur.

Posted by DaGoddess at January 8, 2003 09:34 AM
Comments

Actually, I haven't thought much about federal funding to hospitals.

When it comes to federal funding of any kind, I'm pretty much against it. I ask myself: "Is this worth seizing money from taxpayers at the point of a gun?" Most of the time the answer is no.

Still, I can think of hundreds of worse things the fed spends money on, and that leaves a lot of room for programs to be cut ahead of teaching hospitals.

Posted by: Ravenwood at January 8, 2003 10:18 AM

Realistically, university hospitals should recieve funding similar to the best universities. Problem is that none of them have a football team, or a Title IX directive.
I'm of mixed feelings on this. Federal Funding is what's making healthcare expensive and shoddy as it is. I'm for eliminating all federal involvement altogether.
The money's not the problem; it's the sycophant administrators of the hospitals begging for the free handouts and then mismanaging the money who are the problem. But, there's no way to get rid of them, they go hand in hand with federal funds.

Posted by: Grognard at January 8, 2003 11:02 AM

What's amazing is that this shortage is occurring while citizens are shelling out huge amounts of money for doctor visits, health insurance, etc. Where is all the money going? Some insurance company executive's pocket, I guess. I can't see it anywhere else. Maybe it's just being pissed away in inefficiencies.

Posted by: dragonfly jenny at January 8, 2003 02:13 PM

Joanie, send me the address and administrative offices of your hospital. I will give it to my accountant for anything we are going to give out this year. Maybe this year I won't have the rush like this past year. I don't know how much it would be, but I know there will be some that has to be given away. Sorry I can't just give donations that I want, but you know the story about the control of my money. Someday, though I will be able to, and I plan on it. Good post too!

Posted by: Zander at January 8, 2003 03:20 PM

I agree with Ravenwood. If the goddam government would stay out of the health-care business, we'd all be better off. If hospitals didn't have to hire five secretaries and two accountants to handle the government paperwork for every doctor, the problem wouldn't exist.

No. They don't get a dime of my money to allieve this situation.

Posted by: Acidman at January 8, 2003 06:12 PM